Topic

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry

Glutamate, GABA, dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, noradrenaline, neuropeptides, hormones and endocannabinoids.

9 articles

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Intermediate Endorphins and Other Neuropeptides The brain's own opioids, substance P, orexin, neuropeptide Y and more: slower, longer-acting chemical messengers built from short chains of amino acids. September 21, 2026 · 2 min read

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Intermediate The Endocannabinoid System The brain's own cannabis-like signalling system: anandamide and 2-AG, CB1 and CB2 receptors, messages that travel backwards across synapses — and what THC and CBD actually do. September 6, 2026 · 2 min read

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Intermediate Glutamate and GABA: The Brain's Accelerator and Brake The two most abundant transmitters in the brain — glutamate exciting, GABA inhibiting — how their balance keeps the brain stable, and what alcohol, anaesthetics, sedatives and seizures have to do with it. June 22, 2026 · 2 min read

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Beginner Serotonin From the gut to the raphe nuclei: serotonin's many receptors and roles — in mood, sleep, appetite, impulse control and perception — and why the 'chemical imbalance' story of depression is too simple. June 12, 2026 · 2 min read

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Beginner Dopamine Not simply the 'pleasure chemical': dopamine drives movement, motivation and learning from surprises. Its pathways, the reward-prediction-error discovery, and its role in Parkinson's disease, addiction and schizophrenia. January 19, 2026 · 3 min read

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Intermediate Acetylcholine The first neurotransmitter ever identified: it moves every skeletal muscle, slows the heart, sharpens attention and memory — and is the target of curare, nerve agents, Alzheimer's drugs and myasthenia gravis. December 21, 2025 · 2 min read

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Intermediate Noradrenaline and Adrenaline The fight-or-flight chemicals: noradrenaline from the locus coeruleus tunes alertness and attention in the brain, while adrenaline from the adrenal glands readies the body for action. December 6, 2025 · 2 min read

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Beginner Neurotransmitters: An Overview The brain's chemical messengers at a glance — amino acids, monoamines, acetylcholine, peptides and gases — what makes something a neurotransmitter, and what the major ones do. November 2, 2025 · 3 min read

Neurotransmitters & Brain Chemistry Intermediate Hormones and the Brain How the brain controls the body's hormone system through the hypothalamus and pituitary — and how hormones such as cortisol, oxytocin, sex hormones, thyroid hormone and melatonin act back on the brain. October 29, 2025 · 2 min read

About this project

NeuroScience Decoded is an independent, plain-language encyclopedia of the brain and nervous system. It covers what neuroscience is, five thousand years of its history and the people who made it, how neurons and synapses work, brain chemistry and anatomy, development, the senses, movement, memory, emotion, sleep and consciousness, neurological and mental health conditions, the tools scientists use, the overlap with artificial intelligence, treatments, and the ethics and future of the field.

Every entry is written to be understood by a curious reader with no science background. Each one is tagged Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced, opens with an In plain English summary, offers everyday analogies and try-it-yourself examples, ends with key takeaways, and links to the concepts worth reading first.